The Dwarka Expressway, which is being developed as the first elevated urban expressway in India, will be operational in 2023, said Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday.
“Dwarka Expressway will reduce pressure on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway (part of the Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai arm of Golden Quadrilateral) and arterial roads that experience severe traffic congestion, primarily from the commuters of West Delhi. Nearly, 50%-60% traffic on NH-8 will be diverted onto the new expressway, thereby improving traffic movement towards Sohna Road, Golf Course Road. Once operational in 2023, it shall immensely help in reducing the air pollution in Delhi-NCR as well,” Minister Gadkari said in a series of tweets.
It will be a 16-lane access-controlled highway with provision of minimum three-lane service road on both sides. The Expressway connecting Dwarka in Delhi to Gurugram in Haryana is being developed at a total cost of ₹9,000 crore. It has a total length of 29 km, out of which 19 km falls in Haryana and the remaining 10 km is in Delhi.
The expressway begins from Shiv-Murti on NH-8 (Delhi-Gurugram expressway) and ends near Kherki Daula Toll Plaza, through Dwarka Sector 21, Gurugram border and Basai.
It will have four multi-level interchanges, including India’s longest and widest road tunnel that will be 3.6 km in length and have eight lanes.
Once ready, it will provide direct access to upcoming India International Convention Centre (IICC) in Dwarka Sector 25 as well as alternate connectivity to IGI Airport through a shallow tunnel.